Book talk: Exclamation Mark by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld (Virginia Readers' Choice, 2014-2015)

[As preparation, make a sign of various English punctuation marks and hold it up at the beginning of your booktalk.]

If you were a punctuation mark, which one would you be? A question mark? A comma? A pair of quotation marks? Some of you are clearly exclamation marks, so let me introduce you to a member of your tribe.

[Show opening pages.] At first, our poor exclamation mark did not fit in, poor guy, except when he was lying down and sleeping. When he was awake, he really stood out, and he felt confused and deflated, like a kid with no friends.

But one day he got questioned over and over and over again by question mark. [Bring in some of your favorite questions of hers: "Do you think a snail could go around the world?"; "Am I boring?"; Who's taller, you or me?"]

He got so frustrated with question mark that he yelled STOP! which is SO exclamation marky of him. Exclamation marks are gold-medal winners in yelling, joy, pain, frustration, and all those emotions that take a lot of energy. They can laugh and cry better than the rest of us. Anyhow, question mark LOVED it when he yelled stop. I think those two make natural friends, you know?

Have you now decided which punctuation mark you are?

Exclamation mark by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld. Unpaged. Scholastic Press: 2013. Virginia Readers' Choice, 2014-2015. Booktalk to K-3. This would be a great booktalk for students doing a grammar unit, as well.